What cruise line is "best"? - 7 day cruise, couple with 1.5 year old baby, new to cruisng?

Question

We will go on our first cruise mid January 2008. We are new to cruising, are leaning towards a 7 day cruise, and have a 1.5 year old baby. We're easy going, like to drink but not to get smashed, and prefer to have better tasting food options than mega selection of average food options. For a yardstick, we like the buffet at the Mirage, but are not overly impressed with the Rio which seems to get a lot of buzz..

So, if you are still reading:
* How would you rank the cruise lines?

We can leave anywhere from within Florida, so port is irrelevant.

Answer 1

I would check out the NCL cruise lines. The have what you would call freestyle cruising. No set hours for dining, like many of the cruise lines have (6 PM or 8 PM seating)With a baby you need to be more flexible.

Here is a site to check out
http://www.ncl.com

Once you figure out what ship you want to cruise on, go here for pricing
http://www.cruisecompete.com

As far as ranking cruise lines you can also check this site
after you know exactly where you want to go.

http://www.kayak.com click on cruises.

Good Luck and enjoy)

Answer 2

You are going to want to have a cruise line that is good with children. You may want your child babysat. If you would like this option..

1. Disney Cruise Lines-- offers a baby sitting service, and a whole floor dedicated to children, they also have beepers that would allow you to be contacted if they need you. They also have ALOT of adult only areas, so that the adults can relax with out children, while knowing that your child is in a safe enviroment[the child play area].

2. Royal Carribbean-- From the way that you make your personality sound this line is classy, and yet it has very good cihld services. Although it does not have personal room babysitting it does have a place where you can drop off your kid.. sort of like a day care. This line is classy and yet fun at the same time.

3.Carnival-- I would say not to try Carnival until your child is a little older. Although they have good ships, Carnival is known to be a little less structured and a little more wild then most cruise lines. They have a good "day care" center called Camp Carnival but I would say the 1-3 age group is not as good as other lines.

I would suggest that you book the cruise, because the nearer you get the cruises will get more full, so the prices will rise. They are already probably alot more then they were 6 months ago.

Answer 3

Going on a cruise is not like going to Vegas,; you cannot just call them up a few days before the cruise and get a cabin. Most cruises these days sell out and so there are rarely any cabins that you can get at the last minute. Since 9/11 cruise lines want their passenger lists substantially completed 3 or 4 weeks before the cruise.

We just returned from a cruise the first week of December and the ship was full, sold out. So you really need to think about moving your planned cruise date to about May or June at least, later would be even better. Do this for two reasons. The cruises coming up in the next 30 days will likely be sold out and if they are not sold out you will pay a premium (full price vs a discounted price) for them. On the other hand, all of the cruise lines do give discounts for early booking and the earlier (like 9 to 12 months early) the better the price.

The major cruise lines that most people go on are lines like Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity and Holland America. The budget cruise line that most young folks and beginner cruiser go on is Carnival, the fun ship. Carnival leaves from all of the ports in Florida. If you want better food and a more informal cruise go on a Norwegian ship. NCL offers the freestyle cruising where you do not select a dinner seating time like most other lines have. In lieu of a Formal night they have "dress up if you want to" night and only about 10to 20 % of the people will dress up.

If you want a better cruise and better food go on Royal Caribbean, Princess or Celebrity. They will have formal nights but that is just the requested attire and not required. Of these three I would rate Celebrity as tops and Royal Caribbean and Princess about even; though I like Royal Caribbean better. On all three of these lines you will have fun but the crowds are more reserved than on Carnival and things are a bit more traditional and formal than on Norwegian. Holland America is a good line but tends to cater to older people (like 60 and above).

Below are links to the cruise lines and also links to the Florida ports. The port links will have a calendar which will show what cruises leave from each on what days. There will be links to the cruise lines that use each port. If you shop around you will be able to find a good price for a cruise leaving from a port near you and like I said its best to pick a day further in the future than January 2008.

Answer 4

Norwegian Cruise Line is by and far a nice cruise line. As Owner of a Travel Agency, I get to actually go aboard the ships and see what they have to offer. NCL in my opinion is more a refined, adult-oriented ship. Children are welcome at NCL, but considering that you have a 7 year old, probably a better fit for you are: Disney, certain Carnival cruises(not all), and Holland America. You didn't state what kind of cruise you're looking for(cruise destination), where your departure city of choice is, or a departure date. Those minor details aside, I know that there are 10 day cruises out there that would be compatible for both of you and your child. Examples-- 1- 10 Night Hawaii Cruise(NCL). 2 sailings in September 2006. I can get you on board for as low as $629.00/pp. 2- 10 Night Southern Caribbean(Disney). September 7 sailing; $1,581.00/pp. 3- 11 Night Mexico(Princess). September 26 sailing; can be had starting at $1,099.00/pp 4- 10 night Alaska(Celebrity). 2 September sailings; can get you on board starting at $1,300/pp 5- 10 Night Canada/New England(Holland America). 3 September sailings; starting at $1,579/pp These are just some of the sailings available. These are based on the information that you provided. Also keep in mind that these are unpublished prices(i.e. not available at the cruise line websites)

Answer 5

Since the baby is so young, and kids' activities aren't important, I'd say go with Celebrity, if they have any cruises in January. Princess might also be a good choice, but I've never gone with them, so I have no personal experience. Celebrity is an "up-scale" mass-market line - the food and service are really good, the ship decor is understated and classy; it's not a "party-hearty" line, but they still have plenty of activities.

It's rather late to be reserving, but mid-January isn't usually a prime time, so you may even get some bargains. [Try vacationstogo.com and their "90-day ticker".]

For more info - probably more than you can get through and digest in the short amount of time you have - go to CruiseCritic.com, "Reviews" and "Boards". Or get a book from your library about cruising.

If price isn't important, there are always the "premium" lines, like Crystal, Seaborn, etc.

Answer 6

Celebrity is the best in the Premium class cruise line

In the Luxury class of cruise lines, they're all great.

Skip the Mass Market lines.

Answer 7

celebrity cruises was very nice. i also liked princess a lot too. i think the food is better on these two lines.

Answer 8

royal caribbean or carnival